Ever notice how #BigPharma makes excuses and blames others when they are confronted with the truth? That pretty much sums up the recent Senate Hearing on High Drug Prices. Although this is not the first time we have seen this behavior, hopefully we are seeing the beginning of the end of the stranglehold that #BigPharma has on the healthcare marketplace.
In the meantime, we will keep fighting for the right of all Americans to access safe and affordable prescription medications – and clarifying and correcting all the inaccurate information intended to protect the profits of #BigPharma while consumers struggle to pay for their prescriptions.
For the latest news and insights on personal prescription importation, please read on!
*****
Join Our Action Committee! If you want to get more engaged on the issue of high drug prices, please email us .
*****
In the News:
An Immediate Solution to Access Safe and Affordable Prescription Drugs
Tracy Cooley, executive director of the Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation
October 30, 2017
The outrageously high cost of prescription medications is an ongoing, serious health crisis for millions of Americans who are desperate for relief and want the government to act.
Lawmakers struggle to address this growing problem, facing intense resistance from pharmaceutical companies in an already crowded environment of legislative priorities. Each day, we witness shifting priorities based on the latest headlines. Indeed, we are living in challenging times and there are many issues that require urgent attention from lawmakers.
Yet, the reality that many Americans face each day is non-negotiable and cannot be paused as they struggle to pay for their medications.
Importation from Canada is the simplest, most immediate solution to provide Americans with reasonable access to safe, affordable prescription medications.
Here is the irony – millions of Americans get their daily personal prescription medications from Canada while policy wonks endlessly debate any and all proposals that even have a shred of merit, delaying action even further.
These consumers know that they can get the same medications that they need at significantly reduced prices. In many cases, they have no other reasonable choice for accessing their prescription drugs. The consequences for not getting their medications can be life-threatening and debilitating. Yet, there are still endless debates on whether or not personal prescription importation could be a viable option in the future.
Not only are licensed Canadian pharmacies a viable option for accessing prescription medications in the future, but they are also a proven safe solution today.
While counterfeit medications sold through rogue websites are a serious safety concern, allowing personal prescription importation from licensed and legitimate online pharmacies in Canada would enable the FDA to have increased oversight and inhibit the proliferation of these illegitimate sites.
Several proposals could provide relief to the ever-increasing high price of pharmaceuticals, but they are long-term solutions that do not provide even a glimmer of immediate hope to people who face tough personal or family health decisions each day.
The rising costs of prescription medications have forced many Americans to skip doses, split pills, or forgo medications completely. This is an unacceptable choice resulting in serious health consequences for patients and leading to increased costs for the healthcare system and taxpayers.
Congress can provide relief today by allowing importation of personal-use medications from credentialed, verified Canadian pharmacies.
Bipartisan legislation has been introduced time-and-again for more than a decade to address this issue with a common-sense approach.
With the help of tens of thousands of supporters, we are working to ensure our elected officials understand the impact of high drug prices on consumers across the U.S. and act to provide reasonable access to safe, affordable prescriptions from Canada.
*****
From Our Blog
SAFETY IS NOT A DEBATE
Big Pharma resists any efforts to lower prescription drug prices by raising fears over safety. Since fear is a powerful motivator, it can be effective. But safety is not a matter of debate, a drug is either safe or it is not.
Recently, the Canadian International Pharmacy Association issued this press releaseciting a 100% perfect safety record for personal prescription importation from licensed, certified and trusted retail pharmacies for the past 15 years, at 50-80 percent less than the cost of prescriptions filled in the U.S.
Since 2002, fifteen million U.S. customers have been safely and affordably accessing their prescription medications from Canada.
Yet the rhetoric and fear-mongering continues… why? Follow the money.
Behind all the smoke and mirrors, there is reality and it’s important to be reminded of that reality – personal prescription importation is a safe and affordable solution for the skyrocketing drug prices in the U.S.
However,we should not overlook the real safety concern – patients in the U.S. who cannot afford their medication and instead of finding a way to safely and affordably access their prescription drugs, they split pills, skip doses or forego medication completely, which can result in dire and life-threatening health consequences, particularly for at-risk individuals.
Don’t believe the #BigPharma hype! The full press release can be found here.
SENATE HEARING ON THE HIGH COST OF DRUGS
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing recently to discuss the high cost of drugs, which is the second in a series of three hearings on this topic.
Long story short, the Senate brought all the bad actors together to finger point and blame each other for high drug prices, while the reality is that they all contribute to the problem. The system is broken. The Senate chastised the witnesses throughout the hearing, yet no real solutions emerged that offered hope to American consumers that any reasonable end to the madness is in sight.
Indeed, nearly all the solutions that Senators raised were quickly shut down by witnesses, when the underlying message was clear – they’re getting away with it because they can, there are no mechanisms to stop them.
We share the frustration, after years of debate on this issue we don’t seem to be any closer to a solution. Indeed, accessing safe and affordable prescription medications has gotten even more complex. Yet the reality is clear – they are getting away with it because there is nothing stopping them. Something must be done, but until then, we won’t stop fighting.
Watch the full hearing here:
THE ATLANTIC FORUM ON Rx DRUGS: AT WHAT COST?
Last month,weattendedaneventhostedbyTheAtlanticonthehighcostofpharmaceuticals – At What Cost?
It will come as no surprise that the inside-the-beltway policy debate around access to prescription medications continues to be mired in half-truths and finger-pointing blame games but the bottom line remains the same – Americans pay more for prescription drugs than any other country in the world.
The event was well-attended –interest in the issue remains high – and nobody is buying what #BigPharma is selling. There remains high skepticism around any defense by shills of the industry claiming that high prices aren’t the fault of the pharma industry.
Real quotes heard this morn included:
- “Let’s not confuse cost and price”
- “Spending on administrative costs is higher than spending on prescription drugs”
- “Every report shows that the outlook on pricing will be stable rather than increasing in the future”
Interestingly, Express Scripts released a report today focused on the 800,000 Americans who spend more than $50,000 per year on prescription drugs. Perhaps this is reasonable from a #BigPharma perspective, but the consensus among those of us in the real world, is that it is not acceptable when lives are at stake.
The pushback from #BigPharmaremains the same old broken record – the industry doesn’t make enough money to fund the search for future cures so they are hard-pressed to charge more for prescription medications. Does anyone believe that argument?
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) represented the plight of many consumers by pointing out that Minnesotans can see Canada from their porches, and that the state supports personal prescription importation. While she acknowledged that importation is one of the least likely legislative solutions to move forward, we assert that it is an immediate solution to the high cost of pharmaceuticals.
Representative Patrick Meehan (R-PA) pointed out that everyone is looking for a quick fix and real change is not going to happen through a quick fix.
But while policy wonks and industry shills talk in circles in Washington, smart consumers know that they can save serious dollars ordering personal prescriptions from licensed and legitimate online pharmacies in Canada and that is no smoke-and-mirrors game, it’s reality.
*****
Testimonial: Vicki - Madison, Wisconsin
Vicki started ordering her medication, an antidepressant, from Canada more than two years ago when a friend told her about personal prescription importation.
In the U.S., she can fill her prescription through her insurance but the drug company charges her insurance an extra $1,000 for each refill, which causes her to go into the gap early in the year and drives up costs for all of her prescriptions significantly for the rest of the year. Through personal prescription importation, she is able to fill a 3-month prescription for $48.
As Vicki says, "Purchasing prescriptions in the U.S. is highway robbery and should not be legal, I am glad someone is attempting to help lower the high cost of drugs."
*****
Pleasetake a moment to reach out to your elected officialto make sure that they do not lose sight of protecting the rights of all Americans to access safe and affordable prescription medication by visiting our Contact Congress page at
*****
Take Action – We would love to hear from you!
We are currently looking for personal stories to highlight the need for access to affordable and safe prescription medications to policy makers and thought leaders who can make a difference.
Please share your story by visiting this link.
*****
About: The Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation (CPPI) is a national nonprofit patient organization that advocates for Americans to access to safe, affordable prescription medications from Canada for personal use. Tens of millions of Americans – especially the elderly and others on fixed incomes – struggle to pay the extremely high price of prescription medications in the U.S. We are here to be their voice.
Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation
1220 L Street NW
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20005
202-765-3290
1 | Page